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BAR HOTEL RESTAURANT INNERE WERTE • INNER VALUES

In den Seminarräumen wurden neue Glastüren eingesetzt und die ursprünglichen Holztüren mit Lüftungslamellen daneben belassen. • The original wooden doors with ventilation lamellas were maintained alongside.

F or more than 20 years, our office cpm architekten has focused on two priority areas:
office fit out as well as revitalisation. The revitalisation of Stadtbad Oderberger
Straße was characterised by a long prelude for us, the clients and the building: from 2004
to 2007, the seven buildings of the former “Gustave Eiffel” School on Kastanienallee in
Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg were converted into a campus for the GLS Language Centre, where
about 6,500 course participant from more than 100 countries primarily learn the German
language every year. The campus now provides 40 teaching rooms, 46 furnished student
apartments, a restaurant, a bistro, and offices. The site with an area of slightly more than
8,000 square metres was transformed into a park-like campus with local plants and
various leisure areas. Initially, it was connected with the equally sized neighbouring site
of the public baths on Oderberger Straße. The two wings of the school, which had survi-
ved the war, were reached via entrances to the left and right of the public baths – the
archways had the inscription “Knaben” (boys) and “Mädchen” (girls). The clients, the
Jaeschke couple, and our planning office were very keen to integrate the distinctive buil-
ding into the campus and revitalise it. In 2011,
Seminarraum mit originalglasierten Klinkern • Seminar room with originally glazed bricks
Two decades as abandoned property after cracks in the pool occurred
So ist der Saal auch für Veranstaltungen nutzbar. • That way the hall can also be used for events.
At that time, the 8,600-square metre public baths had already been vacant for two deca-
des and was deteriorating. It was planned by the then head of the building authority,
Ludwig Hoffmann, and constructed in the style of neo-renaissance between 1899 and
1902. The residents of the Prenzlauer Berg District, at that time an expanding neighbour-
hood, primarily visited the baths on Oderberger Straße for reasons of personal hygiene.
More important than the 20-metre swimming pool were in those days the 125 cubicles
with showers and bathtubs, which were rented out, strictly separated according to gen-
der, with the men’s section being markedly larger than the women’s wing. In 1936, the
atria on the first floor were built over and the swimming pool was extended by 5 metres
to “Olympic” length. In 1985, the construction of a concrete chimney caused cracks in the
bottom of the pool and led to its closure.
Cells with bathtubs are now hotel rooms

And here, the actual challenge started: The meanwhile dilapidated baths for the poor
had to be converted into a contemporary swimming baths and a 4-star-plus hotel and
simultaneously comply with the operational requirements of the language school as well
as the seminar and banqueting operations for special events. Due to the prominent
nature and uniqueness of the municipal baths in the district, the monument preservation
authority was particularly sensitive. There was, however, a very productive collaboration
with specialist authorities under the direction of the head of the building authority. The
common interest of architects, client and authorities was the preservation of as many
historic elements as possible respectively the reconstruction of the condition at the time
the baths were built. We decided to hide the components and technical installations
required for the new uses in the existing structures wherever possible. The no longer nee-
ded bath and shower cubicles should still be recognisable. They were built with a
system, which was novel in 1902 and used bricks glazed on both sides and internal rein-
forcement rods. A few could be converted into rooms for private tuition. Here, the soap

150 • AIT 6.2017